Full PC Build for Under $800 - Episode 237

What this episode covers

DescriptionOne of the side effects of the pandemic and more than one shutdown in China has been an increase in prices for PC components. Some have gone through the roof (like power supplies), while others are nearly impossible to acquire (such as webcams). But, pricing and availability issues do not make it so that people don't need to upgrade an existing PC or build a new one. Because of that, Avram built the best $800 PC for Tom's Hardware.This PC has some surprising power, with a 6 core, 12 thread processor in the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, which cost $185 at the time of build. It has a Gigabyte GTX 1660 Super Gaming OC, which ran $239 at the time. And, it has 16GB of Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 3200, coming in at $58. These components are what made it possible for games to run at a decent framerate (averaging 56 FPS) and even allowed for Twitch streaming from the PC of a game on the PC, with only about a 10% reduction in framerate.However, some corners were required to be cut in order to make this happen. For example, the Thermaltake TR2 600 is not the best power supply on the market, but it is reliable with a low cost at $54. Also, the Antec Dapper Dark Phantom DP310 is not a terribly exciting case, though it does come equipped with a small amount of RGB LED capability across the top, and only runs $59. The build also does not include a Windows license, as most builders will reuse the license from the PC they are replacing.The price of components is always changing, especially right now. However, using a service like PC Part Picker will help to ensure you get the best available price on the components in your list in the moment - hopefully keeping it to the same $794 range.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.Live DiscussionPowered by PureVPN

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